Life with fur-friends

Molly and Ms. Kitty kept me company yesterday as I cleaned up the front yard ... each reminding me to savor the moment as I worked.

When I'm too busy to play with her, Molly chews on the shrinking remnant of what
locals refer to as her "Laker's Ball" (no doubt because of it's color scheme) that was left in our yard months ago by Jake (another yellow Lab who joyfully played fetch with anyone he could find to toss the ball). He and his sister, Jessie, visited this Spring along with their family, residing in the "vacation rental" next door for a month. Similar in age, the three pups had great fun together each day. Apparently everyone overlooked Jake's favorite toy as they packed & moved on.

After their departure, Molly waited patiently by the neighbor's gate hoping the dogs would come out to play ... but left Jake's ball untouched for three days before finally "claiming" it as her own & making it her favorite front-yard "fetch" toy ... perhaps because it reminds her of the fun they had playing together. I wonder if she realizes it's getting smaller each day as she tears off pieces? Will she miss it when it's gone? It's certainly not long for this world. K who lives across the street and thinks Molly's "beautiful" gave her a couple of balls as replacements, but so far ... Molly chooses this toy consistently.

Molly's the neighborhood "greeter" ... visiting with passers-by happily ... inviting them to throw her "ball" so she can retrieve it, but Ms. Kitty tends to be more aloof and prefers to "hide out" when strangers come near. Opposites in color and temperament, these two fur-friends teach me lessons daily and reflect different sides of my own personality.

Independent and wary, Ms. Kitty's a feral cat who lived on her own for years, before M started to give her treats whenever he visited. Back then she'd hang out a couple of doors inland from my house ... relaxing in the the "safety" of the enclosed yard of the tiny beach cabin used only occasionally on weekends ... taking shelter under the large wooden porch in inclement weather. It didn't take her long to visit MY yard looking for handouts. Not being a "cat" person, I resisted until she showed up one day with a festering wound on her neck while M was visiting. He bought a cat carrier and we took the kitty to my vet. I paid for the medical treatment and a 5-day stay to get her back on her feet ... after which she "adopted" me ... and has been living here ever since. She wasn't thrilled when I brought Molly home a couple of years ago, but they've learned to coexist. I doubt they'll ever be "friends" ... but they know we're "family".

Interestingly, in the past few months Molly has developed a "wary" and/or "skittish" side with occasional strangers while Ms. Kitty has learned to trust a few more people ... allowing a some to approach and even touch her these days. These subtle changes remind me of my own evolution.

As a young person I believed the views of friends and family members who perceived me to be an extrovert like Molly, but in my mid-30s (as I started to journal regularly) ... I realized that's what others wanted (even needed?) me to be ... and like a "good girl" ... I complied. Over the next decade or so, I realized I'm quite introverted like Ms. Kitty ... and in the past few years I've come to recognize & appreciate a "continuum" of connectedness within myself. As I've learned to pay as much attention to my inner needs as to the needs of others ... I've experienced balance ... and find it easier all the time to choose when to be alone and when to engage. It seems that the best way to be available to others, is to take care of myself & encourage them to do likewise.